In an interview with South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison out Monday, Becerra responded to a question about his feelings on how the Republican candidates, particularly the two of Latino heritage, “who have family with immigrants but yet the rhetoric that’s coming from them, and their party, what are your thoughts — again, from the Latino experience — what are your thoughts, and how do you feel about that type of rhetoric and what’s going on on that side?”

“Here’s the real problem I have with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio: It feels like they’re running from their heritage in my book,” said Becerra, who led the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the late 1990s.

Cruz and Rubio, he continued, “don’t want to say who they are.”

“I’m a proud Democratic but I’m Latino before I’m Democrat. I can’t erase this skin. I’m always going to be brown. I don’t have to always be Democrat. If my party abandons me and my values, I can change. I can’t change,” he said, pointing to his hand.